Kingston HyperX Cloud I or Sennheiser GSP 300?

[pedro1981]

I'm looking for a closed back headset, to have an alternative to my open backed headphones (Sennheiser HD 558).

I was almost completely sold on the HyperX Cloud I, which I can buy for €65 (shipping included). But, as I was buying it, Amazon showed me the Sennheiser GSP 300, which will cost €10 more. So I placed the purchase on hold, as these seem to have great reviews (maybe too great...?).

Given the price difference, which one would you go for? I'm still leaning towards the Clouds, since they're cheaper and also have quite a bit of accessories in the box (plus, there are a lot more reviews on them). However, the Sennheiser also seem an interesting proposition... if they're better than the Cloud, I'd go for them.

In short, which one would you go for? Cloud or GSP 300?

 

[ssddx]

do not forget about the hd598c... its a recent release which is the hd598 in closed back. basically very similar to what you have now (hd558).

i dont know the gsp300 but the original clouds are not bad. microphone is not the best in the world but its acceptable. sound quality is good for the price paid. they are based on the takstar pro 80 headphone design which was a good buy for cheap.

 

[pedro1981]

I almost bought the HD 598 CS, but ended up not doing so due to the mixed reviews I read. Curiously enough, some of them were from HyperX Cloud users, complaining they couldn't spot any difference between both sets. That's what originally got me into browsing information on the Clouds.

I'm going for a headset rather than headphones, to have a really distinct option for gaming.

 

[ssddx]

distinct? all of your better gaming headsets are based on headphone designs (game one, mmx300, game zero, pc363d, hxc, adg1). the only difference is a mic strapped on the side (easily remedied with a modmic or similar) and in some cases a crappy soundcard added (hxc2, pc363d). the rest of them are fairly average sounding headsets designed for gaming which when compared to headphones often loose out sorely in quality (logitech, razer, etc). while gaming headsets are not always bad and certainly are normally acceptable quality for most people its also not fair to compare their quality with headphones given the differences heard.

as far as noticing a difference, thats up to individual ears. some people do not see a difference between $15 earphones and $300 headphones. if anything i'd take comments both ways with grains of salt, yes even mine. the hd598 is generally considered superior to the hxc so i'd imagine the same would be true for the 598c..though i havent heard the 598c vs 598 yet

the hd598c is basically the signature of the hd598 but with less soundstage (closed vs open does this) and more bass (again, likely because closed vs open). otherwise its going to be similar. it may sound sort of like a slightly better hd518 which tends a bit towards a bit more bassy than neutral.

your choice of course. the hxc original isnt a bad headset for cheap although i think that the 598c + modmic may be greater. more money though.

 

[pedro1981]

"Distinct" in the sense that I want something different (I have the open back 558, so wanted a closed back with mic as an alternative - rather than going for another open back, for example). I'm aware that the Cloud won't be as good as my 558, but as long as they're still good, it's ok. I just want something I can use when there's people around, which is a "no go" with the 558s, and that won't make me sorely miss the 558s whenever I use it.

The issue with the 598 CS is that, from what I read, they're actually different headphones, not just a closed 598 (different drivers and so on). If they were just closed 598s, it'd be a no brainer to get'em.